Update: on October 27th, after 5 days in detention, the group of 26 human rights defenders was finally released.
Dakar, 26 October 2022 – On October 22, in Dakar, the police arrested Babacar Diouf, programme officer of the non-governmental organization Lumière Synergie pour Développement (LSD), and 25 members of the Collective of community members impacted by the Regional Express Train project (TER), including five women. After being held for two nights at the police station, the group was transferred to the Public Prosecutor’s office in Dakar. The Prosecutor then extended the custody for three additional nights, on charges of public disorder.
The group was arrested at the house of one of the members of the Collective, allegedly because they were discussing the organization of a peaceful protest to express their legitimate concerns around the train project and to demand their right to fair compensation.
“We are seriously concerned about these arrests, which constitute a flagrant violation of the right to peaceful assembly guaranteed by the Senegalese Constitution, and regional and international human rights treaties. Nobody should be arrested simply for expressing an opinion or organizing a legitimate protest: we demand their immediate and unconditional release”, said Aly Sagne, Director of LSD Senegal.
The Express Train, which entered in operation in 2021, is a flagship project of the “Emerging Senegal Plan”, the country’s ambitious roadmap to so-called development. It required a total of €1 billion and was supported mainly by the African Development Bank (AfDB), which mobilized $200 million, and the French development agency (AFD), which provided three concessional loans totalling €230 million and €750,000 in grants to support with legal expertise and technical assistance. The Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the French Treasury Department, and the Government of Senegal co-financed the project.
But those paying the higher cost are the local communities displaced by the project, who are still waiting to receive fair compensation and have been facing involuntary resettlements, property demolitions, loss of livelihoods and reprisals.
In 2019, a group representing the local communities, with the support of the local NGO LSD Senegal, submitted a complaint to the AfDB and to the AFD. It is estimated that the first section of the train line (about 36 km) has affected almost 15,000 people. Moreover, there haven’t been meaningful consultations and the compensation has been unequal and inadequate: while some have received a symbolic cash compensation, others have not. The second phase of the project, which extends the train line for further 19 km, is equally problematic and the affected communities are protesting for the lack of fair compensation.
“We recognise that infrastructure projects can be useful and they can have an important economic impact, but these projects must be developed without violating the rights of the populations affected. We urge the State to continue the dialogue with the people affected by the TER project and to respect their right to fair compensation”, said Anne De Jonghe, Financial Flows and Infrastructure Officer at Both ENDS.
The public development banks supporting the project, especially the AFD and the AfDB, have specific commitments and responsibilities to ensure the project does not end up harming the supposed beneficiaries, and that the local communities can safely participate and express their concerns in the context of the projects they fund.
“As public institutions, development banks need to ensure that affected people and human rights defenders can safely speak out, raise questions, and demand compensation when their rights are violated. The concerns of the affected people need to be addressed. If the right to freedom of speech is not respected, and if communities end up facing poverty and inequality instead of prosperity, we can’t call this development”, said Elaine Zuckerman, President of Gender Action.
Info for the editors
LSD: Lumière Synergie pour le Développement is a non-profit association that supports communities impacted by the activities of development banks, such as the African Development Bank and the World Bank. It works on issues such as transparency and accountability, promoting the development of a dynamic civil society and working towards a truly sustainable development of Senegal.
Press contact
Lorena Cotza, Communications Lead (Coalition for human rights in development) – lcotza@rightsindevelopment +39/3285761056
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